what to use under the barrel

[Jake2454]

i have a few more days of quarantine left and since the better half is away visiting her children and grandchildren i thought that i would use the time for maintaining my flint locks. typically after pulling the barrel i would put a thin coat of oil on the underside before reassembly. i was watching a clip on blackpowder tv where the presenter relayed info he had received that oil or grease might be bad for the wood.
so being alone and having limited choices i was considereing kiwi neutral as an under barrel protectant.....any thoughts or comments will be welcomed.
thank you

 

[Phil Coffins]

I wonder if some times in order to have something to fix a problem is created to address. Other then giving the barrel channel a coat of finish when built I haven‘t had an issue with oil damaging the wood. A light coat of quality oil is good from my experience.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I use the old time method of sealing wood under the barrel. While beeswax is traditional and I use it if there are gaps in the inletting, for well inletted stocks I use a carnuba paste wax since it is softer to put on in thin layers yet harder when dried.

 

[Brokennock]

I'm assuming you are trying to protect the bottom of the barrel from rust amd corrosion.
Beeswax rubbed on a warm barrel and/or on the wood works great.
I've read of people using the wax based rings sold to seal toilets to the floor upon installation. It is very soft, so a little more than needed is spread on and when the barrel is pressed into the barrel channel the excess is wiped away.

 

[dave951]

For a half stock do it right and glass bed

 

[Jake2454]

I'm assuming you are trying to protect the bottom of the barrel from rust amd corrosion.
Beeswax rubbed on a warm barrel and/or on the wood works great.
I've read of people using the wax based rings sold to seal toilets to the floor upon installation. It is very soft, so a little more than needed is spread on and when the barrel is pressed into the barrel channel the excess is wiped away.

you assume correctly...and i have some bee's wax on hand....thank you

 

[Brokennock]

Glass bedding, excellent idea,

 

[Ponderosaman]

The very first gun I bought back in 2001 was an unmentionable BPS. All excited about shooting, I would clean that thing if I put one shot through it, applying oil very liberally every time. At one point I noticed that the oil was pooling and soaking into the wrist of the shotgun. Not long after I read in F&S that when the wood is soaked with oil, it weakens it greatly. I stopped applying so liberally after that and the dark spot very slowly dimmed over the years. Well the ex got that gun in the divorce, so I'll never know if it would've broke from being weak, but I think if you apply and then wipe with a dry patch, the build up won't happen. Just a thick enough coat to keep the rust away.

 

[bang]

Wax if not bedded.

 

[dave951]

Glass bedding, excellent idea,
View attachment 111784

Mmmm Kay, let's play. Nothing but sperm whale oil for oil. No aluminum molds. Use only a coal or wood fire to melt lead for bullets. No machine woven pillow ticking. No nails holding yer shooting box together, handmade dovetails only. Ride a horse to the range. Ditch short starters, not historically accurate. Powder from a horn only unless military, then paper cartridges. No modern steels or springs.

Stop and think a bit on just how much modern influences there are in our "traditional" shooting. A glass bed with beeswax will go a long way towards rust prevention and can contribute to accuracy.

 

[pilot]

I have some whale oil. I should use it on my lock. I got it from a great uncle when I was a kid, probably 60 years ago. He worked as an adding machine repair man for a big bank. He said it was the only mineral weight oil that would not go rancid. I'm not so sure about that since that last time I opened the bottle was about 20 years ago and it smelled pretty bad.

 

[Brokennock]

Mmmm Kay, let's play. Nothing but sperm whale oil for oil. No aluminum molds. Use only a coal or wood fire to melt lead for bullets. No machine woven pillow ticking. No nails holding yer shooting box together, handmade dovetails only. Ride a horse to the range. Ditch short starters, not historically accurate. Powder from a horn only unless military, then paper cartridges. No modern steels or springs.

Stop and think a bit on just how much modern influences there are in our "traditional" shooting. A glass bed with beeswax will go a long way towards rust prevention and can contribute to accuracy.

Yup. Enjoy your genuine goretex lined full grain naugahide moccasins.

And yes, for mid to late 18th century, most should "ditch short starters," and sure, I'd agree with powder from the horn unless military and using paper cartridges.

Most of your examples are disingenuously extreme and have nothing to do with performance of a traditional rifle. Of one is going to glass bed their "traditional style" gun's stock, just buy a gun with a composite stick to begin with.

 

[Ponderosaman]

Yup. Enjoy your genuine goretex lined full grain naugahide moccasins.

Only use farm raised Naugahyde. Wild naugas are very rare these days.

 

[Brokennock]

Only use farm raised Naugahyde. Wild naugas are very rare these days.

But the farms are "so cruel" and environmentally irresponsible.



Lol.

 

[Jake2454]

and how many Nauugas does it take to make a hunting frock

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Lithium grease or renaissance wax.

 

[dave951]

Yup. Enjoy your genuine goretex lined full grain naugahide moccasins.

And yes, for mid to late 18th century, most should "ditch short starters," and sure, I'd agree with powder from the horn unless military and using paper cartridges.

Most of your examples are disingenuously extreme and have nothing to do with performance of a traditional rifle. Of one is going to glass bed their "traditional style" gun's stock, just buy a gun with a composite stick to begin with.

Let's make a deal. I'll keep my gortex mocs and you keep your authentic dysentery and cholera.

Let's be completely intellectually honest we are really doing things in a traditional manner with modern materials and influence. Reenactors deal with this conundrum all the time.

 

[ppg1949]

All the above are good suggestions. I use Minwax on the barrel channel of the stock and car wax on the bottom of the barrel.

 

[Jake2454]

Let's make a deal. I'll keep my gortex mocs and you keep your authentic dysentery and cholera.

Let's be completely intellectually honest we are really doing things in a traditional manner with modern materials and influence. Reenactors deal with this conundrum all the time.

i would have to agree... .those before us used what was the current technology.
if they would have had more sophisticated means they would have used it. its still a patched lead ball and still flint and steel so from that standpoint its the same. reenactors serve an important part and i am glad they do but as far as the rest of us i see very little difference between what we do and how we do it and the ways of the past

 

[Jake2454]

All the above are good suggestions. I use Minwax on the barrel channel of the stock and car wax on the bottom of the barrel.

minwax is very good stuff
thanks